The analyzes for the processes in view of the presidential elections photograph the data of the present time, as we count a whole year before the elections and the photo of the moment focuses on the opposition and the processes that take place in AKEL, DIKO and between the two parties, given intention on both sides to make an effort for cooperation from the first round.
After the Central Committee of AKEL, the spotlight falls on the current conference of DIKO, with the participation of 1,620 members, in which it is inevitable not to raise the issue of presidencies.
In contrast to what followed at the meeting of the Central Committee of AKEL, DIKO intends to allow members to express their views on all issues related to the presidency, including the names of candidates and collaborations. “This is the appropriate step for such a discussion to take place”, he mentioned characteristically to POLITIS 107.6 and the Control Panel show of DIKO Athos Antoniadis.
According to party officials, the prevailing view at the congress will be to support the candidacy of DIKO president Nikola Papadopoulos and with this in hand as an argument they will be taken to Hezekiah Papaioannou for consultation. More in response to Stefanou's statement, that he would prefer the candidate not to be one of the leaders of the two parties.
It was considered an exclusion
AKEL may have tried with the glove to raise the issue of its preference for a common candidate who is not the leader of one or the other party, but in DIKO they saw it differently. As an exclusion of the president of their party. “The pre-exclusions make the collaborations difficult”, said Athos Antoniadis commenting on the issue.
More carefully, the president of the party Nikolas Papadopoulos, in the show of RIK “Challenges”, said “we do not start with exclusions, or with setting criteria for persons, but with political positions”.
The executives of DIKO, publicly when asked, give the name of Nikolas Papadopoulos as the most suitable for the anointing of the candidate, while there does not seem to be a single line of support if Mr. Papadopoulos leaves the equation.
We want EDEK
The prospect of the candidacy of the former Minister of Health George Pamporidis does not cause shocks only in AKEL, since his predominance is not a “walk” even in DIKO, whose executives leak their annoyance from the dynamics that this possibility took prematurely, which they charge at AKEL.
Nikolas Papadopoulos did not comment when asked, but set another parameter, which makes it difficult to support Pamporidis. The cooperation with EDEK, which does not have the best relations with the former Minister of Health, as it is known, due to the rupture in which they came for GESS. “It is important for us to have cooperation with EDEK, it is important for us,” he said.
In the Christodoulidis plan
The first cracks in the possibility of cooperation between AKEL and DIKO bring the discussions for plan B earlier and this is not a party. It is, according to converging information from DIKO, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Christodoulidis.
Of course, the path of cooperation with AKEL is -conditional of finding a strong candidate- more certain, at the same time that the election of Christodoulidis carries personal risks for Nikolas Papadopoulos, who does not want a President of a decade or with the prospect of become the leader of the intermediate space.
I told Nikolas
However, AKEL Secretary General Stefanos Stefanou insisted, despite the apparent frictions, on the prospect of cooperation, on the view of avoiding putting party leaders on the table as candidates, even referring to the discussion that took place in the Central Committee. Speaking on the show “Without Rotations”, last Thursday, he even said that he discussed it with Nikolas Papadopoulos and told him that “the non-discussion of the leaders will help”.
In AKEL, which wants to run this time in the election race with the prospect of victory, however, they realize that only with collaborations can they get there. But the equation for reaching a candidate proves difficult.
In the exercises on paper, however, the autonomous descent of the two parties with separate candidates is not ruled out, keeping open the way for their cooperation later, in the second round.
Screenshots Pamporidi
The name of George Pamporidis has never been denied that he is in the thoughts, despite the fact that AKEL insists that it has not been discussed. Stefanos Stefanou tried to keep the nomenclature in the Central Committee, to avoid scuffles, and to a large extent he succeeded, however what he feared came from the New Forces and Irini Charalambidou, who is not a member of the Central Committee, which from the show “Morning Inspection” of POLITIS 107.6 did not hide words about the prospect of Pamporidis candidacy, openly stating her opposition to the possible former government minister Anastasiadis, who unleashed hatred against AKEL, his former Prime Minister and his policy. Dimitris Christofias, to become the candidate of the Left party. Indeed, relevant tweets of Mr. Pamporidis are still posted on his personal account and screenshots circulate from chat to chat. However, there are also screenshots by Irini Charalambidou, who cordially said goodbye to Mr. Pamporidis when he left the Minister of Health.
Irini Charalambidou's move, which may feel strong due to her outstanding performance in parliamentary crosses of preference and spending her last term in Parliament, was out of line. The reactions at the beginning were intense and after Stefanou's intervention softer, in an attempt to avoid introversion, which is moving, at least for the time being, away from the limelight.
Rebel and murmur
In AKEL, however, they do not only have to manage the possibility of a guerrilla from Mrs. Charalambidou, which could develop in a similar way to the turn that the Christodoulidis case takes in DISY. The possibility of supporting George Pamporidis causes a wider murmur, despite the apparent favor he has from the leadership or part of the party leadership.
The main argument of Pamporidis supporters is that he is the man who achieved the greatest social conquest of this place, the GESS, and that he is today openly against the Anastasiadis government and DISY.
However, as much as he is considered anti-conformist, dynamic, spontaneous, he does not stop being a member of the Anastasiadis government and a member of DISY and this causes a crisis of party identity in part of the AKEL base, which is not ready for such an excess.
Averoff at the start
Apparently, DISY closed with the candidacy of Averof Neophytou. And finally; On the contrary. Probably a start. Mr. Neophytou was relieved of his anxiety about whether he would be the party's candidate, but not whether he would be able to win or even finish.
The president of DISY still has many episodes ahead of him, starting with the alienation caused by his early announcement. DIKO already finds no reason to look for ways of cooperation, since the decisions of the ruling party leave only one option: To tie to Averoff's horse. The road is therefore more difficult in terms of finding alliances.
Mr. Neophytou also has to face the profile that he built and that he admitted in the Sigma show “Without Rotations”, that he broadcasts to the public. That is, the wicked one, the one who “comes in and out” to achieve what he wants. Something that is a double-edged sword, as some see it positively and some negatively.
He also has to face the comparison with Nikos Christodoulidis, or even Mr. Christodoulidis himself, under certain conditions. Of course, Mr. Christodoulidis will also need to explain when and what he disagreed with in the last 9 years with Averof Neophytou.
On the other hand, Averof Neophytou has the advantage that he can use the government mechanism to “give solutions” to problems faced by population groups and he is already doing so, in fact with the slogan “we give solutions”.
Christodoulidis on call
Nikos Christodoulidis, when he left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, many thought he had the solution in his pocket. Various things were said, written or more whispered, but we did not see any movement.
Mr. Christodoulidis is currently fighting to stay in the news, as he has lost the step towards the media. His name is not in the daily bulletins, as he is no longer a minister, but he still enjoys great popularity and has a profile that helps him in a time that also helps him, which is disparaging to anything reminiscent of an old-fashioned politician.
At the level of strategy, finally the former Foreign Minister is waiting on the phone. In an ideal situation for him, that DIKO will not find with AKEL, and if the concerns of Nikolas Papadopoulos for his face are calmed down, he might get a phone call.
However, he appears determined to take the big step and it is expected that his candidacy will be announced in the spring.
